GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

RAJYA SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 497

TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.07.2009

Status of Investigation into Mumbai Attacks

497. SHRI RAJEEV CHANDRASEKHAR:

(a) The status of the investigation into the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai vis-a-vis Intelligence and Security in Center and State;

(b) The steps that taken have been by Government to ensure that slip-ups in institutions, organisations and personnel are identified and there will be no recurrence of such incidents; and

(c) Whether Government has finalized a code of conduct / protocol for media coverage in the event of any future attacks?

ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

(SHRI AJAY MAKEN)

(a): As per available information, Mumbai Terrorist Attacks case is being tried vide Session Case No. 175/2009. The trail in these cases in progress before the Session Court, Mumbai and so far, 107 witnesses have been examined.

(b): The Government has been, on a continuing basis, reviewing the security arrangements in the light of emerging challenges, including terrorism, and a number of important decisions and measures have been taken. These measures include augmenting the strength of Central Para-Military Forces; amendment of the CISF Act to enable deployment of CISF in joint venture or private industrial undertaking; establishment of NSG hubs at Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Mumbai; empowerment  of DG, NSG to requisition aircraft for movement of NSG personnel in the event of any emergency; strengthen and re-organizing of Multi-Agency Center to enable it to function on 24x7 basis for real time collation and sharing od intelligence with other intelligence  and security agencies; and development of online and secure connectivity between Multi – Agency Center, Subsidiary Multi-Agency Centers and State Special Branches. The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 has been amended and notified in 2008 to strengthen the punitive measures to combat terrorism. The National Investigation Agency has been constituted under the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008 to investigate and prosecute offences under the Acts in the Schedule.

(c): Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has constituted a Media Consultative Committee for media facilitation, inter alia, to serve as a forum of regular consultations between Government and various professional media bodies, provide a platform for exchange of views on concerns of civil society, and to discuss concerns of media organizations on various regulatory/policy/procedural matters.

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